There’s a time in each of our lives when we question the road we have chosen.
Logic and reason arrive as uninvited guests, unsolicited advice pulls us over in a speed trap and that damn inner voice sneaks up on us in the rear view mirror trying to catch us at the next rest stop!
Sooner or later, these things corner us, our car stalls out and we begin to question several things:
1) If we are truly deserving of the prize. Study after study tells us that one of the top reasons people do not attain what they deserve is because deep down they feel they are not worthy. I think this is the deadliest of all because of its subtlety.
2) If we could even attain the prize in the first place!
3) If we can reach the destination that seems so damn far away by this point.
Hope appears in the form of roadside assistance and hands us a fresh bag of excuses along with a new road map toward the town called mediocrity.
The next time your inner voice hands you a line of crap, I’d like for you to think about the following . . .
For those of you who believe its the economy:
Half of the companies which comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average where formed during recessions or depressions!
Microsoft was born during the recession of 1975 and even survived this photo shoot. I know what you’re thinking “Who snuck the joint into that photo shoot?”
Too old?
The oldest person to scale Mt Everest was 80 years old.
Too young?
Michael Dell started Dell Computer from his dorm room at the ripe old age of 19!
Richard Branson (actually Sir Richard Branson) started the mail order business which would later become Virgin Records at 20 years old.
Didn’t go to college, finish college, go to the “right” college.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ted Turner, Tom Hanks, Woody Allen never finished college.
H.G. Wells, self made billionaire Jim Clarke, W. Clement Stone and Peter Jennings all dropped out of High School
And for those of you facing rejection and criticism . . .
Sylvester Stallone was turned down more than 1400 times on the Rocky Script. The SOB even sold his dog at one point to make ends meet.
Chicken Soup for The Soul was rejected by 144 publishers
Colonel Sanders was told “No” 1009 times before the “YES” which launched KFC
The Beatles were turned down by Decca Records because they felt “Guitar music is on the way out” 1 Billion + records later I think somebody is feeling rather dickey!
So here’s the deal gang. There will always be a reason for us to back down, back off, step down, hold back and let go of the dreams we have. Doubt, negativity and nay sayers will always show up ready to crash our party but . . .
We have to assign meaning to their words or reject them and evict them with a good kick in the rear for good measure!
May the road to your success rise up to meet you!
You deserve no less!
I help sales reps, sales leaders and business owners sell more!
For more information on how I can help you and your organization, click here or email me paul@yoursalesplaybook.com
